I lecture to nutrition students, and I spend a lot of time in the surgery talking about food. Your mouth is where digestion starts, and what you eat shows up in your teeth and gums long before it shows up anywhere else.
Sugar: it's how often, not just how much
This is one of the best-established facts in dentistry. Every time you eat or drink something sugary, the bacteria in plaque make acid, and your teeth are under attack for a while afterwards. So a biscuit with every cup of tea does more harm than the same biscuits eaten at once.
-Keep sugary foods and drinks to mealtimes.
-Watch the hidden sugars in "healthy" snacks, smoothies and dried fruit.
-Water or milk between meals.
Acid and erosion
Fizzy drinks (including diet ones), fruit juice, sports drinks and frequent citrus can soften the enamel. Drinking through a straw and not brushing straight after something acidic both help.
Nutrients your mouth needs
-Vitamin C. Essential for healthy gums. Severe deficiency causes bleeding gums, and research suggests low vitamin C intake is associated with gum bleeding more generally.
-Vitamin D and calcium. Important for teeth and the bone that holds them. Research is investigating links between low vitamin D and gum disease.
-Fibre and crunch. Vegetables and whole foods need chewing, which gets saliva flowing.
Blood sugar and gums
High blood sugar is associated with worse gum disease, and gum disease with poorer blood sugar control. Eating well helps both. Gums, diabetes and the heart.
The mouth's bacteria
What you eat feeds the bacteria in your mouth, for better or worse. The oral microbiome.
Talk to us about diet
I'm always happy to talk food, and to work alongside your nutritionist. Working with other practitioners.
Message us on WhatsApp or call 020 7099 6651.
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